Erie County, NY Business Licensing & Operations: Secondhand Dealers (2026)

Local Law No. 15). Section 5 makes every secondhand dealer operating within Erie County subject to the same licensing scheme as pawnbrokers: the Erie County Sheriff is the licensing authority, and applications must disclose employee names and dates of birth, the business's legal address, prior involvement in buying or selling secondhand articles, and any e-commerce sites or classified ads used. Section 6 carves out five exemptions from the licensing requirement: dealers exempt from taxation under IRC § 501(c)(3) or § 501(c)(4); garage, basement, porch, or yard sales of a person's own used household items, capped at three sales per year and three consecutive days each; secondhand or used motor vehicle dealers; antique dealers who run an established shop, exhibit at antique shows at least twice a year, or hold a New York State resale number; and secondhand clothing stores.

Every licensed dealer must maintain a card catalog of transactions for at least five years, verify each seller's photo identification, and photograph each item purchased, including its serial or model number (Sections 8-9). Dealers must also report suspected stolen property to the Sheriff and release identified stolen items to law enforcement on request.